Join us for a three-part virtual Professional Learning Community (PLC) series focused on exploring the newly published Native Literacy Guidance from the Washington Office of Native Education. Developed through more than three years of collaboration with educators, tribal partners, and community leaders, this Guidance reflects a shared commitment to strengthening Native literacy and advancing educational equity for Native students across Washington State.

This interactive series will bring participants together to study and unpack the Guidance’s seven principles and their indicators. Through reflection, dialogue, and collaborative learning, participants will deepen their understanding of the framework and explore how these principles can be translated into instructional practice and meaningful student outcomes.

Sessions will be structured to foster connection, shared learning, and practical application as we continue the collective work of bringing Native literacy principles into living practice.

An invitation from the governing body of the state of Washington, being the elected members of the legislature, was extended through the Office of Native Education (ONE) to our Indigenous people to offer guidance to all state educators on how to best support American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) learners as they acquire strong literacy skills. The legislature worried that when looking at measures of state and national reading proficiency scores, specific groups of children had very low scores.  

The reading proficiency of all Washington students is troublesome using these indicators, yet the concern for Native learners was heightened. This invitation came as a proviso to Bill #5950. This proviso supports the state’s obligation to represent Washington’s federally recognized tribes and federally recognized tribes with reserved treaty rights in Washington. The Native Literacy Workgroup, whose members are listed in this report, accepted this invitation.